Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore
Where Boothbay Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Boothbay Gray belongs to the blue-green family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Boothbay Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Boothbay Gray runs green while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 43.7, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Seeing Boothbay Gray and Iron Ore in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Boothbay Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Boothbay Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Boothbay Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Boothbay Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Boothbay Gray vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Boothbay Gray on one side and Iron Ore on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Boothbay Gray comparisons
See how Boothbay Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
